Friction-clutch



(No Model.) 2 sheetssheen 1. P. H. RICHARDS.

PRICTION CLUTCH. l

No. 288,145. Patented A.ug..14, 1888.

y UNITED STATES l PATENT OFFICE.v

f usein machines which require sensitively-op- 'V l 2o c two pulleys and their supportingshaft, hav- Y length, and is fitted to enter said shaft c, so as l to bring said rack-teeth`opposite the aforesaid partly in section. Figs. 3, 4, and 5` are detail b isa block, of rectangular form, secured firmly to shaftc between pulleys c. h hare two ec` figures.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, CE sPRINGEI'ELD, MAssACHUsErTs.

CLUTCH.

srEcIFIcATIpNfOrming part of Letters ratent No. 283,145, dated August 14.,I r1883.

A Application led January 30, 1883. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern/:

' Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDs, a citizen of `-the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Friction-Clutches, of which the followingis a specication. l p

This inventionrelates to improvements in friction-clutches and their operating `mechanism, the object being to provide a clutch of this class which is operative through a very slight motion of the moving friction-surfaces, and between twogclosely-set pulleys or in asingle pulley, by means ofdevices operating from the interior of the shaft upon which said pulley or pulleys are adapted to revolve, said im-v proved clutch being., particularlyadapted .for

erating mechanism for stopping and `starting and for reversing the motion thereof.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a view, partly in section, of

ing combined therewith friction-clutch mechanism constructed according to my invention.` Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one ofthe pulleys shown in Fig. l and of the frictio`n-clutch,

views.

In the drawings, a a indicate two pulleys. c is a hollow shaft. `n n are collars on said shaft.` Ydis a toothed rodtting into shaft c.

centric shafts having bearings in block b. I:

o are toothed levers. e e indicate connecting bars. i i" are friction-shoes.

Like letters indicate like parts in the several The shaft c is provided with a central cylindrical chamber for the reception of the toothed. rod d, and has two slots cut through its sides,

lindrical chamber. Said rod d is provided with a series of rack-teeth over a portion of its slots therein, and to have a longitudinallysliding motion within said shaft by means of any suitable shipper-lever connection therewith.

lows to adapt `it to support the several clutch actuating devices hereinafter described: Block b is, as above mentioned, of rectangular form, its widthwthat is to say, across it, between i The block b is firmly keyed; or otherwise se- Y cured to the shaft c, and is constructed as folthe pulleys a a, Fig. l-beingrather morethan its thickness, and it ispierced from edge to edge centrallyV to permit of placing it on shaft c, and it is there secured in any convenient manner to rotate with the latter. Said block `is chambered out from its ends to said shaftpassage, the chamber on each side of the latby screws enteringthe ends of said block, as

shown. 'e x The following devices, constituting, with ythe friction-shoes i, the operative parts of the friction-clutch, apart from the sliding rod d within shaft c, are connected to said block b. A flat toothed lever, v, is placed within each end of said block, the teeth thereon, by reason of the arm of said lever passing through 'said slots in shaft c, being brought into engagement The said with the rack-teeth on said rod d, eccentric shafts h are placed in their said bearings in block b, and Vare passed through the perforations in each lever, and the latter are firmly secured to shaft h by a pin or screw, as shown. Said shafts 7L are identical in form, and each one has two eccentrics formed von each end thereof, (indicated in Fig. 4L by the letters me.) Four connecting-bars, e, Fig. 3, are hung upon block b, two on opposite sides thereof, in a crossed position, as in Fig. 1, upon the said eccentrics x and z thereon, the bar which lies next to said block being hung upon the eccentric z, and the outer bars upon thesmaller one, w. These forms of eccentrics are em'- ployed for convenience in assembling said bars one above the other. e are placed on said eccentrics the latter are set tothe positions shown in Fig. l, or so that their centers stand relatively as indif cated by the dotted line in Fig. 3. The two friction-shoes c', whichl operate against the Before said bars IOO e Y 253,143 y I inner faceof each pulley, are bolted to the even with a lever of low power, results in a ends of the bars e, as shown in Figs. l and Q that is to say, taking the right-hand pulley in Fig. 1 as an illustration. The upper shoe is bolted to the ends of the two outside bars, e, while the lower shoe in said pulley is bolted tothe, lower ends of the bars e, which lie next to block b. Y In the left-hand pulley in Fig. l

said shoes are secured to the bars c in the reverse position from that just described.-

The operation of this invention is as follows: The pulleys a, c are adapted to turn freely on shaft c' in reverse direction through belts running thereon, as usual, between block b and the collars n n, secured to said shaft. rlhe position of the shoes i in Fig. l-that is,

y ing shaft c.

removed from contact with said pulleysleaves the latter free to revolvewithout turn- If, now, it be desired to set said shaft in motion, by operating the clutch devices to engage Vwith the left-hand pulley, Fig. l, the rod d is moved to the left in shaft c, and carries with it the toothed ends of both levers o. The latter in turn rock the shafts h h, so operating the eccentric z thereon,- upon which the bars e next to block b are hung,

as to move said bars and the upper shoe, z', so that the latter is forced against the inner face of the rim of said pulley, and simultaneously with said upward movement Aof said bars and shoe. rlhe two bars which are located outside of the others are, by the reverse action of the eccentrics xx, together with the shoe t', which is secured to their lowerends, moved downward, so that both shoes have a simultaneous movement away from each other,'and both, although attached to separate bars or pairs thereof, engage at the same instant-with said pulley. Thus, at the instant of Contact of said shoes and pulley, block band its above-described connecting mechanism, together with shaft c and rod d, are rotated by the pulley with which said friction-shoes are brought in contact.

The above-described movement of bars e, to engage the shoes z' with the 'pulley at the left, causes the shoes contiguous to the rim of the pulley at the right to move away from said rim, and vice versa, and a proper movement of rod d drawsall of the shoes away from the pulley-rims and stops the rotation of shaft c.

` lIt will be seen that the movement of rod d,

joyed.

It will be seen that the devices above devices may with equal advantage be applied to a single driving-pulley.

That I claim as my invention isl. The combination, with a hollow shaft having slots through its sides, and a rod adapted to slide in said shaft, and by one or more pulleys revolving freely on the latter, and suitable friction-shoes to engage therewith, of mechanism, substantially as described, interposed between said sliding rod and said shoes, whereby the longitudinal movement of said rod causes said friction-shoes to be moved in a directionv substantially at -right angles thereto, all as set forth.

2. The combination, with one or more freelyrunning pulleys and friction-shoes, substantially as described, of a hollow shaft having slots through its sides, a rod having rackteeth thereon to slide in said shaft, a hollow rectangular block ,secured on said shaft, and provided with two rock-shafts having eccentrics on each end thereof, two levers secured to said rock-shafts within said block, and adapted to engage with said sliding rod, four connecting-bars located two on opposite sides of said hollow block, and connected with the eccentrics on said rock-shafts, and with said friction-shoes, substantially as set forth. p

3. In combination, the hollow block b, the hollow shaft c, the rod d, the levers o, adapted to engage with said rod, the eccentric rockshafts h, and the four connecting-bars c, substantially as set forth.

FRANCIS II. RICHARDS. Vitn esses:

WM. H. CHAriN, B. F. HYDE. 

